Automobile parking apparatus



Dec. 16, 1958 P. E. MARSHALL 2,864,515

AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 M Rma 4.1%

Dec. 16, 1958 P. E. MARSHALL AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed April 19, 1954 'INVENTOR.

Dec. 16, 1958 P. E. MARSHALL AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS '7Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 19. 1954 IN V EN TOR. Z52 2 I)74/5%4ZZ M 4.ar/0M Dc. 16, 1958 P. E. MARSHALL AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS 7Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 19, 1954 We mar 44,

Dec. 16, 1958 r P. E. MARSHALL 2,864,515

AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1954 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 M 2/2//5 f a fZ 4% "-l/ I I 4 o z w j o 2 2.4.5 5

IN V EN TOR.

772 .522 Z BY E- in M4 W Dec. 16, 1958 P. E. MARSHALL AUTOMOBILE PARKINGAPPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed April 19, 1954 1 1 1 m MEL? u I L 2 92@LE Q5 1 fi w w a a 7 L m H Um E25? L L L N *4 m IN V EN TOR.

States atent Qfiice 2,864,515 Y AUTOMOBILE PJG APPARATUS Preston E.Marshall, Wayne, Mich, assignor of one-half to John R. McKinley, GrossePointe Shores, Mich.

Application April 19, 1954, Serial N 0. 424,157 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-161)This invention relates to automobileparking apparatus. The problem ofproviding adequate parking facilities in congested areas has existed formany years, and many large cities now require new businessestablishments to provide oflf-street parking facilities for theircustomers.

more cars in a given area than is possible with surface.

parking, the cost of ramp garages is very high, and they are inefficientin that a great amount of the available floor space must be devoted toramps and aisles leading to the parking stalls. -Moreover ramp garagesare limited as to the number of floors, usually 4 or 5, and require alarge number of attendants to handle the cars, resulting in high laborcosts and uneconomical operation.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the solution to the parkingproblem lies in the development of socalled vertical parking, i. e., amechanical apparatus capable of stacking cars. vertically so that thenumber of square feet of surface area required per car parked is at aminimum. Mechanical garages of various types, both fully automatic andsemiautomatic, have been proposed, and a few such devices have beenbuilt. Some of the mechanical garages heretofore proposed may have.

represented an advance over surface parking and ramp garages in somerespects, but have not been adopted on' a large scale because ofdisadvantages such as too high cost per car space available, too muchspace within the building taken up by elevators or other operatingmechanism and not utilized as storage space, mechanical fail-.

ures and high maintenance costs, or because the apparatus cannot beloaded or unloaded in a sufficiently short time during rush hours.Automatic or semi-automatic garages heretofore put into use havegenerally consisted of a multiple storied building having a number offixed storage spaces at each level and an elevator adapted to handleeach car individually to move the car to and from a storge space. Insome cases the cars are driven onto and off of the elevator by anattendant, and in other cases an automatically operated device isemployed to move' the cars to and from the elevator. In garages of thistype cars cannot be loaded and unloaded at the same time because asingle elevator is used for both loading and unloading.

The present invention is directed to a parking apparatus adapted forautomatic operation which operates on a very different principal thanthose devices which have previously been suggested. The apparatuscomprises a plurality of individual parking decks, each adapted tosupport a car to be parked, and power operated mechanism for moving thedecks through the building in a fixed sequence along a continuous path.The cycle-of operation of the apparatus is such that each deck is advanced one position along such path duringvea'ch cycle of operation. Thebuilding is provided with an entrance at one end and an exit at itsopposite end, a'nd'the decks are moved in sequenc past the entrance andexit during continued operations of the apparatus. The cycle ofoperation preferably is such'that when the apparatus is at rest, aparking deck is aligned with the entrance so that a car to be parked maybe driven onto such deck. When the apparatus is now operated for onecycle, ea'chdeck will be advanced one positionso that the succeedingdeck will be positioned at the entrance to receive another car.Similarly, a car may be driven 01f of thedeck aligned with the exit whenthe apparatus is at rest, and during' the next cycle of operation suchdeck will be advanced one position toward the entrance while thesucceeding deck will be positioned at the exit. The app'aratus'isadapted for control by a single attendant, except for the operation ofdriving cars onto and olf of the parking decks at the entrance and exitof the building. The decks are numbered in sequence, and suitablecontrol panels, are provided having operating buttons numbered to correspond with the numbers on the decks. After the customer drives onto.an empty parking deck, 'he is given a ticket having a numbercorresponding to the number of that deck, and the apparatus may then be'operated for one cycle of operation to advance each deck onepositionthereby placing the succeeding deck at the entrance. When the customerreturns for his car, the claim check is presented to the attendant whoactuates a control but-, ton corresponding to the number on the check,and the apparatus goes through successive cycles of operation, eachcycle advancing. the desireddeck and all other decks one position, untilthe desired deck reaches the exit, at which time the apparatus isautomatically stopped to enable the customer or an attendantto drivefthecarofi of the deck. The control panels indicateto the'operator thenumber of the deck atthe entrance'and will indicate which of the decksare loaded and which are empty, so that if the deck at the entrance isloaded and a custom er desires to park, a control button correspondingtothe. empty deck closest to the entrance is actuated and the apparatuswill re=cycle until that deck' reaches the en-. trance. y Morespecifically, the apparatus comprises a building, having a plurality ofsuperposed levels of track elements along which the decks are movable insequence, power operated means to shift the decks on adjacent levels in"opposite directions during each cycle of operation, power' operatedtransfer means at opposite ends of the several levels to lower a deckfrom one level to.,the next lower level during each cycle of operation,and an elevator adapted to receive decks from the lowest level and;t'o'elevate each of the decks in'the elevator one level to posi tion one ofsuch decks at the top level during each cycle Y of operation, therebyproviding a continuous path through the building along which, the decksmove in a fixed. sequence. As the description of the invention proceeds,it will be seen that a system of this type utilizes a large percentageof the available space in the building"for actual storage of cars, thusrequiring only a few square", feet of surface area per car spaceavailable, and may be loaded and unloaded very rapidly during rush houroperation. The building need be only about 10 feet in width, and may bemade as deep as desired to enable its use on nearly any size lot whichmight be available. The num, ber of stories may be increased ordecreased, in multiples of two, so that the capacity of. each unit maybe varied as desired. Moreover any number of individual units may bedisposed side by side on a single lot, each unit operatingindependentlyof the others, to provide a total" capacity for several hundred cars.Due to the fact that each'unit is operated individually, a large numberof cars may be parked or de-parked at the same time.

The principal object of the present inventionis to provide an improvedautomobile parking apparatus.

Another objectof theinv'ention is to provide a mechanical parkingapparatus in which the parked cars are movable through the building inafixed sequence during operation of'th'e apparatus: i

" Another objectof the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typedescribed in which each car is adapted to be supported on an individualparking deck, the several'decks being movable in a fixed sequence alonga continuous path.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automobile parkingapparatus including'a plurality of individual' parking decks and a poweroperated means for movingthedecks in a fixed sequence in such mannerthat each individual deckis advanced one position during each cycleofoperation ofthe apparatus.-

'A further object of the invention is'to provide a me chanical parkingdevice in which individual parking decks are moved in sequence past anentrance to and an exit from the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a parking'apparatusconsisting of a series of independently operated units each having anentrance at one end and an ekit' at the other end thereof.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent 'from'thefollowing description and claims and may be understood by referenceto'the accompanying drawings, of which there are sevensheets, which byway of illustrationshow a preferred embodiment of the invention and whatI now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applyingthe principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention maybe used without departing from the scope of the present invention as setforth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view through a parkingapparatus constructed according to the principles of this invention; V

' Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the elevatormechanism and taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1; i i

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5- 5 of Fig. l;

Fig. 6' is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the parking decks andshowing the same coupled to similar decks aligned therewith;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through a pair of decks coupledtogether and taken on line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a part of the rack andpinion mechanism providing for horizontal shifting of the parking decks;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through the rack and pinion drivemechanism shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a power operated meansfor actuating the horizontal shifting mechanism shown in Figs. 8 and 9;and

Figs. 11-14 are diagrammatic side elevational views of "the apparatusshowing the several movements of the power operated mechanisms whichmake up one complete cycle of operation of the apparatus; and

Fig. is a fragmentary view of the lower level of the elevator, showing amodified construction thereof.

The apparatus schematically illustrated in FigQl of the drawingsincludes a structural steelframework defining along narrow buildingstructure within which cars may be parked on a plurality of superposedstorage levels numbered from 1 to 8 consecutively beginning with the toplevel. The framework of the building includes vertical girders 10 at thesides of the building and horizontally disposed vertically spaced framemembers 12 and 14 extending between the vertical girders 10 at the sidesand ends of the building. The building is provided with a fixed trackmeans 16 at each of the levels 1-8, and such track means extendlongitudinally of the building and are disposed in an intermediateportion thereof. Each track means 16 comprises a pair of spaced parallelrails or tracks 18 resting upon longitudinally extending I-beams 20which are supported by beams 22 extending horizontally across thebuilding and secured at their ends to the vertical girders 10. Anelevator mechanism 24 is located at one end of the building, andvertically reciprocable transfer means 26 and 28 are disposed atopposite ends of the track elements 16.

The transfer means 28 comprises a suitable structural steel frameworkincluding vertically extending beams 30 at each of the four cornersthereof and spaced horizontally disposed frame members 32 secured to thevertical beams 30'. The transfer means 28 is provided with fixed trackelements 34 at alternate levels thereof. The track elements 34 comprisespaced parallel rails 36 resting upon longitudinally extending. I-beams38 which are supported by transverse beams 40 secured at their ends tothe vertical beams 30. The transfer means 28 is shown in its raisedposition in Fig. 1, from which it will be seen that the several trackmeans 34 therein are aligned with the track means 16 at levels 1, 3, 5,and 7 of the building.

The transfer means 26 is similar in construction to the transfermechanism 28 already described and is adapted to support a plurality oftrack means 36 on alternate levels thereof. The track means 36 may besimilar in construction to the tracks 34 supported by the transfer means28. The transfer mechanism 26 is shown in its lowered position in Fig. lin which position the several track elements 36 are aligned with thetrack elements 16 on levels 3, 5, and 7 of the building. The spacedrails 18 at the top level 1 are extended through the framework definingthe transfer mechanism 26, and the extended portion 38 of such tracks issupported at its outer end on a frame member 40 of the building. Thetracks 18 on the lower level 8 are extended as at 42 beneath thetransfer mechanism 26. When the transfer mechanisms 26 and 28 are in theposition shown in Fig. l, the track means 34 and 36 carried thereby arealigned with and terminate closely adjacent to ends of the rails 18whichare fixedly supported within the building as described. When thetransfer mechanism 26 is elevated, the rails 36 thereof. will then bealigned with the tracks 18 on levels 2, 4, and 6, and when the transfermechanism 28 is lowered, the tracks 34 thereof will then be aligned withthe tracks 18 on levels 2, 4, 6 and 3 of the building. The transferdevices 26 and 28 are guided in their vertical movements by verticallyextending guide elements 41 and 43 (see Fig. 2) secured to the frameworkof the building and to the framework ofthe transfer devices atthe sidesthereof, respectively.

A plurality of individual parking decks 44 are supported upon andmovable along the tracks 18 in end to end relation and are also adaptedto be supported on the tracks 34 and 36 in the two transfer mechanisms.The construction of the parking decks is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 fromwhich it will be seen that each deck comprises a rectangular framehaving a top deck 46 and suitable side and end frame members 43 andsuitable cross braces to provide a sufficiently strong and rigidconstruction. Each parking deck 44is adapted to support a car thereon,and sheet metal guides 50 extend along opposite sides of the decks44-for guiding the wheels of the vehicle as it is moved onto and off ofthe deck. The decks may be provided with suitable depressions or wheelwells on the top surface thereof to properly position the cars on thedecks. Each deck is provided with wheels 52 jo-urnalled on axles 54which extend between opposite sides of the decks at both ends thereof.The

wheels 52 are provided with flanges 56 adapted to ride against the sidesof the various track elements so as to insure the proper alignment ofthe several parking decks 44. Each deck 44 is provided with a couplingmeans at both ends thereof. The coupling means are of two types, maleand female, and each deck is provided with the same type of couplingmeans at both ends. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the male coupling memberscomprise T-shaped coupling elements 58 secured to the end frame membersof the deck on the longitudinal center line thereof. The couplingelements 58 are adapted to be received within the coupling elements 68secured on the end frame members of adjacent decks for coupling theseveral aligned decks together for movement together along thesupporting rails. The coupling elements 60 are substantially C-shaped asshown in Fig. 6, and the head 62 of the T-shaped coupling element 58 isadapted to be received within the vertically disposed slot 64 whichextends through the coupling element 60. It will-be seen that when thetwo adjacent decks are spaced apart the proper distance as shown in Fig.6, relative vertical movement between such decks will uncouple the same,and similarly when one of the decks is disposed above the other but inthe proper longitudinal spacing, subsequent relative vertical movementbetween such decks will result in interlocking of the coupling elements58 and 60.

The elevator mechanism 24 comprises a steel framework includingvertically disposed beams 66 at each of the four corners thereof andsuitable cross bracing elements to provide a rigid cage-like framework.The elevator 24 is shown in its lowered position in Fig. 1 and isadapted to be raised and lowered by a suitable power operated means 68adapted to drive a drum or pulley 78 in either direction. A series ofcables 72 are driven by pulley 70 and are secured to the upper end ofthe elevator 24 at one end thereof and may have a suitable counterweightsecured to their other ends for counterbalancing the weight of theelevator. As illustrated in Fig. l, the power operated means 68comprises an electric motor 74 and a speed reduction unit 76 having anoutput shaft 78 on which the'drive pulley 70 is secured. It will beapparent that a suitable hydraulic or other power means might besubstituted for the electric motor drive illustrated.

The elevator 24 is guided in its movement within the framework of thebuilding by suitable vertical guide elements 84) and 82 secured to theframework of the building and the elevator respectively at opposite endsof the elevator mechanism. The elevator is adapted to support a parkingdeck 44 therein at each of the levels 1-8. The deck 44 at the lowerlevel of the elevator is adapted to be supported on tracks 84 which aresecured to the elevator framework. When the apparatus is at rest asshown in Fig. 1, the parking decks 44 within the elevator are supportedon suspension dogs 86 which are pivoted on shafts 88 secured at theirends to certain of the vertical girders of the building. The shafts 88extend horizontally between the vertical beams 10 longitudinally of thebuilding on levels 1-7 of the building. Two of the suspension dogs 86are pivotally mounted on each of the shafts 88, and as shown in Fig. 3,the side frame members of the parking decks 44 rest upon the uppersurfaces 90 of the suspension dogs 86 so that when the elevator is inits lowered position, the decks 44 therein are supported on theframework of the buildings bymeans of the suspension dogs 86. Thesuspension dogs 86 are prevented from pivoting downwardly from theposition shown in Fig. 3 by suitable bars 92 secured to the verticalbeams 10, the dogs 86 having lugs 94 engaging the stops 92 in thisposition of the dogs to prevent such pivotal movement. At the top levelof the elevator, roller supporting members 96 are pivotally journalledon the shafts 88 rather than two of the suspension dogs 86 as on thelower levels of the elevator.

The supporting members 96 have a plurality of rollers 98 rotatablyjournalled on pins 100 secured to brackets 102 mounted on the uppersurface 104 of the members 96. The side frame members of the decks 44are adapted to rest upon the rollers 98 so as to enable a deck supportedon the rollers to be shifted therefrom onto the extended track portion38 during operation of ,the apparatus. Pivotal movement of supportingmembers 96 is limited by stops 106 secured to the framework of thebuilding.

The elevator framework is provided with lift dogs 108 at each sidethereof, and the lift dogs 108 are journalled on shafts 118 secured attheir ends to the framework of the elevator as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.Pivotal movement of the lift dogs 188 downwardly is limited by stops 112secured to the elevator framework. When the elevator is in its loweredposition, the lift dogs are disposed a slight distance below thesuspension dogs 86 on which the decks 44 within the elevator aresupported. When the elevator is raised, the lift dogs v108 will engagethe underside of the side frame members of the several parking decks andlift such decks off of the suspension dogs 86. The vertical movement ofthe elevator is slightly greater than the vertical distance between thesupporting surfaces 98 of the supporting dogs on adjacent levels. Atlevel No. 2, the lift dogs 108 are adapted to engage the ends of thedeck rather than the sides thereof as on levels 3-7, so as not tointerfere with the roller supports 96.

From Fig. 3 it will be seen that as the lower parking deck illustratedin Fig. 3 is raised on lift dogs 108, the sides of the deck will engagethe undersides 114 of the suspension dogs 86 at the next higher level,and further elevation of the deck will pivot the suspension dogsupwardly to permit the deck to be elevated above the same. Since thedeck is elevated sufficiently to clear the suspension dogs 86, thelatter will then be free to pivot downwardly until they engage stops 92,which is their load supporting position. The elevator is then lowered aslight distance to lower the deck onto the suspension dogs and todisengage the lift dogs 108 from the deck. The deck 44 on the secondlevel of the elevator will be positioned on the supporting rollers 98 ina similar manner, and it will be seen that one cycle of operation of theelevator Will elevate each deck therein one level and position one deckon the top level on the rollers 98. As the elevator continues itsdownward movement, the lift dogs 108 will engage the sides of the decks44 and be pivotedz'upwardly so as to permit them to pass below suchdecks into position for subsequently elevating the decks upon the nextcycle of operation of the elevator. Suitable spring means (not shown)may be provided for returning the dogs 86- and 108 to their loadsupporting positions.

As shown in Fig. 1, the deck which is supported at the lower level ofthe elevator is coupled to the deck supported on fixed track portion 42,and when so arranged, the deck within the elevator is not verticallyaligned with the remainder of the decks supported Within the elevator.Cam members 116 are secured to the framework of the building and aredisposed above the end of the deck supported within the elevator at thelower level 8. When such deck is raised by the elevator, the end framemember of the deck at opposite sides thereof will engage the cam members116 which will force the deck to roll along the track 84 in the elevatoruntil such deck is aligned vertically with the remainder of the decks inthe elevator. The deck should be given a sufiicient amount of travel topermit the same to be uncoupled fro-m the adjacent deck on the track 42.before engaging cam members 116. Similar cam members 118 are provided atthe top level of the elevator for causing the deck being elevatedonto'the rollers 98 to shift longitudinally an amount sufiicient topermit the coupling member on such deck to interfit with the couplingmember on the deck supported on the track section 38.

A power operated means is provided for shifting all Of the decks alongthe various track elements, and such means areshown in Figsf'B', 9, and10. At each of the building levels 1-8 a shaft is' journalled at itsopposite ends in a suitable portion "or theframcwork'of the building.The shafts 12% extend transversely across the building below'the fixedtrackmean's 16. The construction of the horizontal drive mechanism isthe same at each of the levels, and accordingly only one of suchmechanisrris will be described. A pinion 122'is secured on shaft 129 onthe longitudinal center line of the building, and the teeth of thepinion gear 122 are t with teeth 124 formed on a longitudinallyextending rack 126 which is slidably mounted within suitable guides 128secured on cross frame members 130 of the building. A bracket 132 ispivotally mounted on one end of the rack 126. The bracket 132 isprevented from pivotxl nio"= ment in a clockwise direction from theposition in which it is shown in Fig. 8 by its engagement with the rack12.-6. and a spring 134 connected between the rack 126 and bracket 132urges the bracket in such direction. The bracket is provided with anupwardly projcctim end 136 adapted to engage the end wall of one of theparking decks 44 so that when the rack 126 is shifted to the left, Fig.8, the bracket 132 will react against the end wall of such parking deckand shift it and all of the other decks coupled together on that levelof the ap-- paratus along the track elements. The cycle of operation ofthe apparatus is such that each deck is advanced one position along thetrack elements during each opera: tion of the rack. It will be seen thatwhen the rack is shifted in the opposite direction, the upwardlyprojecting end 136 of the bracket 132 will engage the opposite end ofthe adjacent deck and will be pivoted thereby in a counterclockwisedirection so as to permit the bracket to pass beneath the deck withoutmoving the deck along the tracks. The return movement of the rack issuificient to enable the bracket 132 to clear the end of the deck whichit is to engage during the next cycle of operation to permit the bracketto return to its driving position shown in Fig. 8 under the influence ofspring 134.

One end of the shaft 120 projects beyond the side frame member of thebuilding in which it is journalled, and a pinion gear 138 is secured onthe outer end of shaft 120. A suitable outboard bearing 139 may beprovided for the outer end of shaft 120. The teeth of the pinion gear138 are meshed with the teeth 14% formed on a rack 142 extendingdownwardly along one side of the apparatus so that the teeth thereofwill be meshed with the pinion gears 138 at each of the levels 1-8. Acable 144 is secured to the upper end of the rack 142 and is trainedover pulleys 146 and 148 and has a counterweight 150 secured to itsother end for counterbalancing the weight of the rack. The drive pulley146 may be driven by a suitable electric motor 152 through a speedreduction unit 154. A hydraulic power means obviously may be substitutedfor the electric motor drive for the rack illustrated and described. Itwill be seen that when the rack is driven downwardly, the shafts 120 andpinions 122 will be driven in one direction to effect shifting of theracks 126 in one direction, and that subsequent elevation of the rack142 will reverse the direction of movement of the racks 126. Thus duringeach cycle of operation of the apparatus, the rack 142 is raised andlowered an extent sufficient to advance each deck one position throughthe apparatus. The decks on levels 1, 3, 5, and 7 are shifted to theright as viewed in Fig. 1, while the decks on levels 2, 4, 6, and 8 areshifted to the left as viewed in Fig. 1. Therefore, the brackets 132which engage the ends of the decks to shift the same are located at theleft-hand ends of the racks 126 on levels 1, 3, 5, and 7 and at theright-hand ends of the racks 126 on levels 2, 4. 6, and 8. When theelectric motor 152 is operated to elevate the rack 142, all of the racks126 will be shifted in the same direction at the same time, but only thebrackets on every other level iii) will drivingly engage certain of theparking decks so that only the decks on such levels 'will be shiftedupon elevation of the rack 142. The brackets 132 on the remaining levelswill at such time be pivoted as they engage the decks so as to passbeneath such decks to be returned to their driving position. Similarlywhen the rack 142 is subsequently lowered, all of the racks 126 will beshifted in the opposite direction, but only the decks on the remainingalternate levels will be moved along the track elements.

The transfer means 26 and 28 may be driven by means of an electric motorthrough a speed reduction unit 162. A pulley 164 is secured on theoutput shaft 166 of the speed reduction unit, and a cable 168 is woundon the drive pulley 164 and at one end passes over an idler pulley 170and is secured to the transfer mechanism 26. The other end of the cable168 passes over an idler pulley 172 mounted on a bracket 174 and issecured to the transfer mechanism 28. It will be seen that the transfermechanisms 26 and 28 operate together and move in opposite directions,that is, one is elevated while the other is being lowered. The electricmotor drive for the transfer means 26 and 28 may be replaced by suitablehydraulic power means if desired.

The building is provided with an entrance 176 at one end thereof throughwhich cars to be parked may be driven onto an empty parking deck 44between cycles of operation of the apparatus. An exit 178 is provided atthe opposite end of the building through which may be driven the car onthe parking deck at the lower level of the transfer means 28. As shownin Fig. l, the lower level 8 is disposed below ground while theremaining levels are above ground. It will be apparent that the entranceand exit may be provided at any level of the building and that all ofthe levels 1-3 may be disposed entirely above ground or below ground.

Figs. 11-14 schematically illustrate the several operations which takeplace during one complete cycle of operation of the apparatus to advanceeach deck one position through the apparatus. In Figs. 1114 theapparatus is designed for 10 stories in height, identified by referencecharacters A-] beginning with the top level, and the depth of thebuilding is sufficient to accommodate six of the parking decks disposedin end to end relation. Each of the decks, either loaded or unloaded,are represented by one of the rectangles which are numberedconsecutively from 146, deck No. 1 being positioned at the entrance. Theapparatus is shown in Fig. 11 in its starting position in which theelevator 24 is in its lowered position and is supplied with decks onlevels BJ. The transfer means 26 is in its lowered position and is emptywhile the transfer means 28 is in its raised position and is loaded withdecks on A, C, E, G, and I levels. The decks are coupled together on allof the several fixed track elements. In this position of the apparatus,a car may be driven onto deck No. 1 if the same is empty, and a car maybe driven off of deck No. 41.

As soon as the apparatus is started into operation, the elevator 24 israised to elevate each deck therein one level and to position deck No. 8on the roller supporting member 96 which is at the A level. The transfermeans 26 and 28 also begin movement at this time, and the transfer means26 is raised so that the tracks therein are aligned with the decks onthe B, D, F, and H levels. The transfer mechanism 28 is lowered to movethe decks therein down to the B, D, F, H and J levels as shown in Fig.12.

As soon as the elevator 24 has returned to its lowered position, themotor 152 is energized to lower the rack 142 and thereby effecthorizontal shifting of all of the rack members 126 toward the front endof the building. Such operation of the rack members 126 shifts all ofthe decks on the B, D, F, H and J levels one position toward the frontend of the building so as to unload the transfer means 28 and load theother transfer means 26 on the B, D, F, and H levels, such operationalso shifting deck 45 into the elevator 24 at the lower level a thereof.This operation is shown in Fig. 13.

As soon as the racks 126 have completed movement of the decks toward thefront of the building, the motor 152 is de-energized and motor 160 isenergized to lower the transfer device 26 and raise the other transferdevice 28 as shown in Fig. 14, whereupon motor 160 is de-energized andmotor 152 energized to elevate rack 142, thereby driving all of theracks 126 toward the rear of the building to shift the decks on the A,C, E, G, and I levels, including those in the transfer device 26, oneposition toward the rear of the building to unload the front transferdevice 26 and load the transfer device 28 with decks on the A, C, E, G,and I levels. This completes one cycle of operation, and the apparatusis now in the starting position shown in Fig. 11. Each deck has beenadvanced one position along the continuous path through the apparatus inthe fixed sequence in which the decks are arranged. Deck No. 46 is nowat the en- 'trance in position to receive a car to be parked, and deckNo. 40 is at the exit so that a car may be driven therefrom through theexit.

Suitable electrical circuits including limit switches (not shown) areprovided for energizing and de-energizing the various electric motors atthe proper times during the cycle of operation. Each deck is providedwith contactor buttons 180 at opposite ends thereof which are adapted toengage one of a series of switch actuating buttons disposed on a switchplate (not shown) suitably located at both the exit and the entrance tothe apparatus. The switch plates have a number of switch actuatingbuttons thereon corresponding to the number of decks within theapparatus, and the contactor buttons 180 on the end walls of each deckare disposed in a different location than the contactor buttons 180 onthe remainder of the decks so that the buttons 180 on each deck canengage only one of the switch actuating buttons. As previouslydescribed, when a particular deck is desired at the exit, the attendantactuates a button on the control panel corresponding to the number ofthat deck, and the apparatus will continue cycling until the desireddeck reaches the exit. The contactor buttons 180 are provided forstopping operation of the apparatus when the desired deck reaches theexit. The electrical circuits controlling the apparatus are such thatthe circuit providing for automatic re-cycling is held in through aswitch controlled by the button on the switch plate located at the exitcorresponding to the number of the deck which has been called for at theexit. This switch will remain closed until its actuating button isengaged by the contactor button 180 on that particular deck, at whichtime the circuit will be broken and the apparatus will be stopped. Noneof the contactor buttons 180 on the other decks can engage thisparticular actuating button to open the switch because the contactorbuttons on all of the decks are located in different positions on theend walls of the decks. When a particular deck is called for at theentrance, the operation is similar and the apparatus will continuecycling until the contactor button on the selected deck engages thecorresponding switch operating button located on the switch plate at theentrance.

It will be apparent that a somewhat different cycle of operation thanthat described in connection with Figs. 11-14 may be employed, althoughthe sequence in which the transfer mechanisms and racks 126 operate willbe the same. In other words, the starting position of the apparatus neednot be as shown in Fig. 11. For example, the entrance and exit may bedisposed at the lowest level of the apparatus, or the entrance and exitmay be disposed at different levels so that a different startingposition and operating cycle would be employed.

In the elevator construction disclosed in Fig. 15, the fixed tracks 18are extended through the lower end of 10 the elevator, and the decks areshifted onto such extended portion of the fixed tracks 18 rather thanonto the track section 84 which is movable with the elevator in theconstruction shown in Fig. 1. In this modification the elevator 24 atthe lower end thereof is provided with a plurality of pivoted lift dogs208 journalled on shafts 2210 supported by blocks 212 fixed on theelevator framework. Each of the lift dogs 208 is provided with a roller214 rotatably supported thereon. When the ele vator is in its loweredposition, the lift dogs 208 are disposed a short distance below theunderside of the parking deck 44 so that the deck may roll along thefixed tracks 18 during operation of the horizontal shifting.

mechanism as previously described. When the-elevator is raised, the deckwill be lifted off of the fixed track ele- -ments 18 on rollers 214, andthe deck will. roll on such rollers as the deck engages the cam members116 toobtain proper vertical alignment of the deck. When the elevator islowered, the lift dogs 208 are pivoted upwardly as they engage the deckpositioned on the fixed tracks 18 at thelower level of the elevator soas to pass beneath such deck and return to their load supportingposition. The lift dogs 203 are similar in construction and operation tothe lift dogs 108 described in connection with Fig. 1, except for therollers 214 which permit horizontal shifting of the deck when theelevator is raised.

When the modified construction of the elevator shown in Fig. 15 isemployed, it will be possible to initiate shifting of the decks towardthe front of the building prior to the time that the elevator completesits cycle of opera tion. With this arrangement the time required tocomplete onecycle of operation will be shorter, and such constructionmight be employed when the cycle of operation is as disclosed anddescribed in Figs. 11-14 as Well as in installations in which thestarting position of the apparatus might be somewhat different, such forexample as when the exit is located at the lowest level and the reartransfer device 28 is in its lowered position when the apparatuscompletes a cycle of operation.

The height of the building may be increased as desired, but the numberof stories must be increased by two, or multiples of two, in order tomaintain a closed path through the apparatus. The depth of the buildingmay be increased as desired to accommodate any number of decks in end toend relation on the fixed track elements in the intermediate portion ofthe building. Any increase in either of the depth or height of thebuilding results in a decrease in the number of square feet of surfacearea required per car space available within the apparatus.

A car may be driven onto the parking deck at the entrance to theapparatus at the same time a car is being de-parked at the exit, thusresulting in speedier operation than is possible with apparatus of thetype in which a single elevator or other device is employed for bothloading and unloading each car individually. Since an individual unit isonly approximately 10' in width, a great number of such units may bedisposed side by side on one lot; and since each unit operatesindependently of the others, a number of cars may be loaded and unloadedat the same time.

In the parking system described herein, none of the operating mechanismsneed move, either vertically or horizontally, more than a few feet atone time so that each individual operation during a complete cyclerequires While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments ofmy invention, it is understood that these are capable of modification,and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details setforth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fallwithin the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Automobile parking apparatus comprising stationary means defining atleast four superposed levels of track elements, a plurality of parkingdecks movable along said track elements, power operated means for movingsaid decks in sequence along successive levels in opposite directions,said power operated means including a horizontally reciprocable rack ateach of said levels engageable with one of the decks on the trackelements of such level, the racks on alternate levels being operable toshift the decks on such levels in one direction and the racks on theremaining levels being operable to shift the decks on the remaininglevels in the opposite direction, and a single motor-driven means foractuating all of said racks in the same direction at each operation ofsaid motor-driven means, transfer means for lowering decks from the endsof said levels to the next lower levels, and power operated meansadapted to receive decks from the lowermost level and to elevate suchdecks to the top level to provide a continuous path along which saiddecks are movable in a fixed sequence.

2. Automobile parking apparatus comprising a building structure, aplurality of individual parking decks movable within said building alonga predetermined path and in a fixed sequence, and means for supportingand moving said decks in said fixed sequence along said path, comprisingstationary means in said building defining a plurality of superposedtrack elements defining a part of said path, power operated means formoving the decks along successive track elements in opposite directions,said power operated means including a drive shaft extending transverselyof the track elements at each of said levels, a pinion on each driveshaft and a rack meshed with each pinion and engageable with one of thedecks in one direction of movement thereof, and a single verticallyreciprocable motor-driven rack meshed with each pinion, transfer meansat opposite ends of the track to the next lower track, and a verticallyreciprocable elevator adapted to support a plurality of decks therein,said elevator being adapted to receive decks from the lowermost leveland to elevate all of the decks therein one level during each operationthereof to position one of such decks at the top level.

3. Automobile parking apparatus comprising a building structure having aplurality of superposed levels of track elements extendinglongitudinally of the building, a plurality of individual parking decksmovable along said levels in a fixed sequence in end to end relation,power operated means for advancing each deck one position during eachcycle of operation of said apparatus comprising a verticallyreciprocable transfer means at opposite ends of said levels for loweringa deck from each level to the next lower level during said cycle ofoperation, means for shifting the decks on alternate levels includingthe top level in one direction between movements of and in one positionof said transfer means to load one of said transfer means with decks tobe lowered and unload lowered decks from the other transfer means, andfor shifting the decks on the remaining levels in the opposite directionbetween movements of and in the other position of said transfer means tounload said one transfer means and load the other, said shifting meanscomprising a rack at each of said levels engageable with one of thedecks on the track elements of such level and a single motor-drivenmeans for reciprocating said racks in unison, and a verticallyreciprocable elevator adapted to support a plurality of decks and toelevate each deck therein one level to position one such deck at the toplevel during each said cycle of operation,

12 said elevator being adapted to receive decks from the lowermost levelduring operation of said shifting means in said opposite direction toprovide a continuous path through said building along which said decksare movable in sequence.

4. Automobile parking apparatus comprising a build ing structure havingstationary means defining a plurality of superposed levels of trackelements extending longitudinally of the building, a plurality ofindividual parking decks movable along said levels in end to endrelation, power operated vertically reciprocable transfer means atopposite ends of said levels, power operated means for shifting thedecks on alternate levels including the top level in one directionbetween movements of r and in one position of said transfer means toload one of said transfer means with decks to be lowered and unloadlowered decks from the other transfer means, and for shifting the deckson the remaining levels in the opposite direction between movements ofand in the other position of said transfer means to unload said onetransfer means and load the other, said power operated means including ahorizontally reciprocable rack at each level engageable with one of thedecks on such level and a motor operated means for reciprocating saidracks, said transfer means being operable between movements of saidshifting means to lower the decks therein to the next lower level, and avertically reciprocable elevator adapted to receive decks from thelowermost level during operation of said shifting means in said oppositedirection and to elevate such decks to said top level to provide acontinuous path through said building along which said decks are movablein a fixed sequence.

5. Automobile parking apparatus comprising a building structure havingstationary means defining a plurality of superposed levels of trackelements extending longitudinally of the building, a plurality ofindividual parking decks disposed in end to end relation on each of saidlevels, a vertically reciprocable transfer means at the rear end of saidbuilding and operable during each cycle of operation of said apparatusto receive decks from the adjacent ends of alternate ones of saidlevels, including the top level, and to lower such decks to the nextlower levels, vertically reciprocable transfer means toward the front ofsaid building and operable during each said cycle of operation toreceive decks from the adjacent ends of the remaining levels except thelowest level, and to lower such decks to the next lower levels, poweroperated means including a drive shaft extending transversely of thetrack elements at each level and a single motordriven means foractuating said drive shafts for shifting the decks on adjacent levels inopposite directions during said cycle of operation, and a verticallyreciprocable elevator at the front of said building immediately in frontof said front transfer means and adapted to support a plurality of decksand to elevate each deck therein one level to position one such deck atthe top level during each said cycle of operation, said elevator beingadapted to receive decks from the lowermost level to provide acontinuous path through said building along which said decks are movablein a fixed sequence.

6. Automobile parking apparatus comprising stationary means defining aplurality of superposed storage levels each adapted to support aplurality of vehicles thereon, a vertically reciprocable transfer meansoperable during each cycle of operation of said apparatus to receivevehicles from the ends of said levels and to lower such vehicles to thenext lower levels, power operated means for shifting the vehicles onadjacent levels in opposite directions during said cycle of operation,said power operated means including a drive shaft at each of said levelsand a single motor operated device for operating said drive shafts, anda vertically reciprocable elevator adapted to support a plurality ofvehicles and to elevate each vehicle therein one level and to positionone such vehicle at the top level during each said cycle 13 ofoperation, said elevator being adapted to receive vehicles from thelowermost level to provide a continuous path along which said vehiclesare movable in a fixed sequence.

7. Storage apparatus comprising a building structure having stationarymeans defining a plurality of storage levels, a plurality of articlesupporting decks disposed on each of said levels, verticallyreciprocable transfer means at opposite ends of said levels and operableduring each cycle of operation of said apparatus to receive decks fromthe adjacent ends of said levels and to lower such decks to the nextlower levels, power operated means for shifting the decks on every otherlevel in one direction and the decks on the remaining levels in theopposite direction during said cycle of operation, said power operatedmeans including a rack at each level engageable with one of the decks onsuch level and a single motor-driven means for actuating said racks, anda vertically reciprocable elevator adapted to support a plurality ofdecks and to elevate each deck therein one level to position one' suchdeck at the top level during each said cycle of operation, said elevatorbeing adapted to receive decks from the lowermost level to provide a continuous path through said building along which said decks are movable ina fixed sequence.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said decks are provided withcoupling means at opposite ends thereof for coupling decks on the samelevel together for movement by said shifting means, said coupling meansbeing automatically engaged and released upon relative vertical movementof adjacent decks in said sequence.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,115,248 Schier Oct. 27, .1914 1,422,816 Beers et a1 July 18, 19221,577,589 Rapp Mar. 23, 1926 1,881,063 Randolph Oct. 4, 1932 2,186,854Auger et a1. Jan. 9, 1940 2,569,393 Walker Sept. 25, 1951 2,711,616Weller et al June 28, 1955 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION Patent No, 2,864,515 December l6 1958 Preston Marshall It ishereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of theabove numbered patent requiring correction and that the said LettersPatent should read as corrected below.

Column 11 line 43 after "track" insert elements for lowering decks from.the end of each track n Signed and sealed this 26th day of May 1959,

SEMI) ttest:

KARL ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer I Commissioner of Patents

